I read this arc and then seen the audiobook. Absolutely love this story. Narrator was great too. 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A beautifully told, heartwarming story about a woman re-discovering her love of reading, and her love for her family after suffering from a bad break-up and quitting her job. I liked the characters, they felt like real people with flaws but ultimately lovable and kind.

Thank you to @manilla_press and @netgalley for this amazing #arc #daysatthemorisakibookshop by #satoshiyagisawa translated by #ericozawa

I listened to this as an audio book and loved it. I tried to think of what is a good comparison for this book and when I consider the story and how it is delivered it reminded me very much of @kawakami_mieko as there is so much focus on the characters and their developments with the plot secondary.

I need to visit the book store for sure and loved all the characters, from the main three to the wider characters. This book is charming, warm and will make you smile in the end. Definitely something I would consider excellent #japanesetranslatedfiction

#honnomushi100 #reading #japanesefiction #translatedfiction #translatedjapaneseliterature #booksfromjapan #booklover #bookstagram #reading #translatedfiction #translatedgems #japaneseauthor #japanesefiction #translatedfiction #japaneseauthors #japaneseliterature

A simple and calm story about the healing power of books and how a shared love of reading can bring people together.

Set in Tokyo, this is the story of Takako, a young woman who, on discovering her boyfriend is marrying another woman, gives up her job and goes to live above her uncle’s bookshop.

In time, Takako rediscovers herself, finds out what is important to her and rebuilds her life.

Narration by Susan Momoko Hingley was perfectly executed.

3.5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Am I the only crazy one, or does living in a bookstore sound kool to you as well?

The title pretty much speaks to you of all you can expect to know before getting started. The book felt like a novella to me with such a short length. That does not mean you are being compromised in any way. It had just a handful of characters developed through and through with their past, present, habits and lemony life!

It's a smooth-paced story of 2 prominent family members that rebuild their once again under the roof of this bookstore. Though there aren't any significant dramatics in here, this is just the kind of book you want to pick on a quiet afternoon and immerse yourself in a Japanese story. Definitely, something I would reread.

Thanks, @netgalley @manilla_press @bonnierbooks_uk for the digital ARC. It was short yet heart-touching.

Genre: #japanesefiction #contemporary
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

It's a love letter to books, bookshops, reading and life. It's a story of how books changed the life of a girl, help her become less prim and more read to face and enjoy life.
It's a book that kept me till late in the night, made me smile and root for the characters.
Can't wait to read the next story, this one is highly recommended.
The narrator did an excellent job in making the characters come alive.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Takako’s life has just fallen apart but her uncle offers her a safe place at the Morisaki Bookshop where she can recharge and get herself back together. Through her time there she learns about her family, makes and finds solace in friends and finds a new direction in life.

This was a really cosy audiobook eventuality there are a few heavier topics discussed. The story was heartwarming and a great reminder of the importance of human connection and to take the time to get in touch with what we want and need.

I found the narrator very soothing to listen to and I could’ve have listened to many more hours of this. If you don’t like books sets in bookshops I wouldn’t let that put you off, the shop is more of a background setting and it doesn’t have any of the bookshop tropes many other stories have.

I’ll definitely be recommending this to anyone that wants a slow cosy listen/read.

I really enjoy Japanese translated fiction, and this book was no exception. The slower pace and attention to detail give them a gentle feeling that I found particular enjoyable this time in audio format. It also helped with the pronunciation of some of the Japanese words and names which I might have stumbled over otherwise.

The bookshop setting was something I really appreciated, and the descriptions of the area of Tokyo have made me keen to visit a place with so many bookshops! I really liked the characters, especially seeing the main characters journey from despair to being able to pick herself up and turn her life around with the help of family and the friends she made while working in the bookshop.

The narration was perfect, and I really appreciated having someone who could pronounce the Japanese words and names properly as I would not have been sure how these would have been said otherwise.

A lovely book which has made me interested to read further books by this author.

I downloaded this audioARC from NetGalley and I’m so glad I did.

I knew I would enjoy its bookishness, and it certainly delivered on that front. Takako is a self-confessed non-reader who knows nothing about books and so we have the great pleasure of seeing one of the most famous streets of bookshops in the world, Jimbochu, through her eyes. She goes to live above her uncle Satoru’s bookshop after losing both her lover and her job on the same day.

Takako quickly gets to know the shop’s regular customers and to get drawn into the rhythms and eccentricities of the second-hand book trade. More than that, she finds in her uncle a supportive and wise elder who helps her rebuild her self-confidence and restart her faltering life.

Satoru has been regarded as a little odd by his conventional family. He met the love of his life, Momoko, while travelling in Paris, and she fell in love with this man whose family owned a Japanese book store yet felt the need to haunt Parisian bookstores while supposedly escaping the family business.

As the novel progresses, we discover how these twin souls married, were blissfully happy, and then came apart at the seams when faced by a terrible medical event. Takako, who has been quiet and conventional her whole life, finds herself an unlikely confidante for both her aunt and her uncle.

I loved both the universality and the specificity of this story. Having experienced something very similar to Momoko, I can feel her pain, and could only wish my husband had loved me as well as Saturo loved her. However, I enjoyed just as much the very Japanese aspects of her experience - the Shinto beliefs and culture we see through the way her tale unfolds.

Similarly, Takako’s mistreatment at the hands of a terrible boyfriend is, sadly, very relatable here in London, and I enjoyed both the typical emotional responses she has and the aspects of her reactions that were more specific to Japanese expectations of women and to her as a unique human being.

Three Word Review: love gives space.

This was a short but interesting book and I found myself transported to Japan and intrigued by the different characters in Takako’s life, most of them pretty quirky and full of personality. I enjoyed this book and the twists and turns it took me on. It’s a gentle read, quite unusual in the way Japanese fiction tends to be, but definitely worth picking up and I can recommend the audiobook version which has a good narrator!

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

This was so good! I especially loved the first half of the story, of her coming to the bookshop and getting up to minor shenanigans with her new friends. I wish we got the whole story about her exploring the bookshop and discovering her love for reading and the shop. It was barely dug into which is a shame, but I did also enjoy the second half where we explore her uncle and his story with his wife. It didn't resonate with me as much but I liked the exploration of all those messy emotions.

I do think I would have enjoyed this better if it was a more lowkey, slow paced story that followed her day-to-day workings in the store, but overall, this was really enjoyable!

Too slight to have much of a lasting effect, Days at the Morisaki Bookshop does at least, in its very brief page count, capture something of the aimlessness of those post-university years, and the escape books can offer when there isn't much else going on. The main thing I'll take from it is that I really should visit Jimbocho if I ever make it to Tokyo.

This book follows Takako after a bad break up, resulting in her reluctantly moving into a second-hand bookstore owned by her eccentric uncle.

This story has some emotional topics, touching on depression, failed relationships, family illnesses and death, yet it is also very sweet, heart-warming and hopeful with new beginnings and new friend and familial relationships.

Books about books are so wholesome and this was no exception. The bookstore is the perfect setting for this story and I loved seeing Takako fall in love with reading and seeing the joy in it.

Although the book is very short, I found I connected with the main character instantly and was rooting for her. I enjoyed the slice-of-life feel to it and would happily read more about the day-to-day life of the bookshop and the different people who visit it. I'll definitely be buying a physical copy of this book to add to my collection.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bonnier UK Audio and Manilla Press for this audio review copy.

This was a short quick read, I listened to it via audio and thought the narrator was good and brought the characters to life well, it was easy to know who was talking and tell characters apart without the author putting on off-putting voices for each character.
If you love books about bookshops, particularly with a character discovering the joy of reading, this one might be for you.
For such a short book I felt like I got to know the characters really well.
I really enjoyed the story but at times felt the writing was just a bit..blunt? But it's hard to know if that's the author or the translator...
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop is short but sweet. This novel mainly focuses on the relationship between a niece, uncle, his wife and new beginnings.
Japanese novels like this one always feel so serene, even with the heavier topics being discussed throughout.
I enjoyed my time with this one 💖

The audio narrator was fantastic and really suited the character.

This book was so cute. The normality of the everyday stories made it so appealing. I loved the characters, the realness and the drama. An easy, quick read which didn’t disappoint. Great narration meant the audiobook just flew by.

This is a simple, lighthearted story about family, friendship, and life. After experiencing a bad breakup and spiralling into depression, Takako reluctantly agrees to move into the flat above her eccentric uncle's bookshop for a few days - which quickly turns into months. Through a plethora of interesting and diverse regulars, she learns more about herself, her own family, and life in general. The main character of this story was incredibly relatable and through her, I learned many important life lessons while still enjoying the story. The author managed to perfectly give this advice while still keeping the story engaging and upbeat, and the narrator affected many different impersonations of the characters in a humorous and fun way. Overall, this is definitely a book I'll be recommending in the future and it's most certainly not one you'll ever want to put down!

Devoured this is a few hours! A beautiful read that celebrates the love of books. I’m obsessed with Japanese books and this one is up there amongst my favourites!